"And for each and every propety by which ye live upon, which is property owned in the present or at one time by the house of the Lord my father, maker of all lands and all that is known, ye shall pay inordinate sums of thine earthly profits to the registrant ecclesiastical owners of thine property, for thy holy upkeep and general wear-and-tear."

It looks like a lot of the people are less concerned about the potential cost but are more concerned about the fact that 1) it isn't always disclosed that the property is liable and 2) it's affecting the property values once the churches exercise that right.

If this law is on the books I've got to imagine that there is some equally obscure law to get around it as well. Something like donating a sheep to the local reverend or some farcical aquatic ceremony where a watery tart hands you a sword.

Jebdiahbob:It looks like a lot of the people are less concerned about the potential cost but are more concerned about the fact that 1) it isn't always disclosed that the property is liable and 2) it's affecting the property values once the churches exercise that right.

If this law is on the books I've got to imagine that there is some equally obscure law to get around it as well. Something like donating a sheep to the local reverend or some farcical aquatic ceremony where a watery tart hands you a sword.

Look, supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses. If I went round, saying I was an emperor because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me; they'd put me away!

Valiente:Also, I speak Brit, but I have never heard the term "advice surgery", which I can only guess is some sort of public meeting, or as the Americans in the northeast call it, a "town hall".

That is a new one. In America, I think it would refer to an invasive procedure to correct a case of cranio-rectal inversion.

"Does Bob still have his head up his arse?""Not anymore, Joe and I performed some field advice surgery.""Good man. Field conditions, huh? Did you have enough whiskey for the anaesthetic and sterilization bits?""For Joe and I, yeah. For Bob, not so much.""Right-o. So who is next on your advice surgery schedule...giving Paul his much overdue metatarsal-rectal graft?""My foot up his arse? Pencil it in for next week."

Seraphym:"And for each and every propety by which ye live upon, which is property owned in the present or at one time by the house of the Lord my father, maker of all lands and all that is known, ye shall pay inordinate sums of thine earthly profits to the registrant ecclesiastical owners of thine property, for thy holy upkeep and general wear-and-tear."

ACCOUNTANTS 2:16

I have a very real urge to print that out in old style script on parchment-like paper and hang it in my office.

indy_kid:This is why I'd like to see: 1) all laws expire after a specified time; or 2) require Congress to eliminate an old law for every new law enacted. Preferably both.

If they want to pass some new law, they'll have to decide which old law will cause the least harm once it's eliminated. It would be the legal equivalent of "survival of the fittest", and, IMHO, that would make for a much better body of laws.

Imagine the quandary that would put some lawmakers in: having to go on record to renew something like the '64 Civil Rights Act when they're closet racists and/or "small government" diehards! Vote no and you'd lose or enrage a large population of voters. Either way, they'd use that vote to challenge you in the next election, and a suddenly disenfranchised population just might finally vote your ass out of office!

That is fine until Ted Cruz filibusters the law to make rape illegal since Obama is against rape.